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Thread: Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto

  1. #22
    c'est la vie whisper's Avatar
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    "We believe Hanyu could win the gold because Daisuke Takahashi, the ace in Japan’s men’s figure skating, paved the way to the world for the other Japanese figure skaters."
    The Japan News, February 2014

  2. #23
    Moderator irinaidu's Avatar
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    chiar daca ma seaca tanith, odul asta chiar e fain!!
    "Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, good mother, good looking, good tempered, well groomed and unaggressive."

  3. #24
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto leaving Michigan

    Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the most successful American ice dance team in history, have ended their 10-year figure skating career in Michigan after splitting with their longtime coaches, Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva.


    The five-time U.S. champions — who represented the Arctic Figure Skating Club in Canton for four years and the Detroit Skating Club before that — will relocate next week to Aston, Pa., to begin training with Natalya Linichuk at Ice Works Skating Club, the figure skaters told the Free Press on Wednesday night.

    The move comes one month after Belbin and Agosto failed for the first time in four seasons to capture a medal at the world figure skating championships.

    Winners of a world silver (2005) and two world bronze medals (2006-07), the team placed fourth in Sweden when they couldn’t make up enough ground after Belbin’s uncharacteristic fall in the compulsory dance.

    The team finished the world meet two spots behind Canton teammates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Canadian national champions who captured the silver medal in just their second world meet.

    “It’s been a rough couple of weeks,” Agosto said. “After worlds, we were obviously disappointed with the result. We felt like we needed to take a step back a little bit and see where we are in our careers, and where we want to go and how we’re going to get there. We did a lot of soul-searching. In the course of all that, thinking about it, we came to a decision that if we wanted to continue to compete and improve and be the best skaters we can be, it was time to make a change.”

    Belbin said: “It’s a very emotional time. We’ve been here long enough to have really set down roots — particularly, the past two years, I’ve made the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. Igor and Marina never gave us or anybody else less than their best.”

    After touring for three weeks on Stars on Ice, Agosto said he and Belbin met with Linichuk and her co-coach and husband, Gennadi Karponosov, on Monday in Philadelphia. Linichuk and Karponosov, 1980 Olympic ice dance gold medalists for the Soviet Union, have coached a number of notable teams over the years, including Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov, 1994 and 1998 Olympic champions from Russia.

    “They’re very excited to work with us,” Agosto said. “I got a feeling they have a plan and a vision and how to take us there. At this point, we need to feel something different, to get a new inspiration and some fresh eyes.”

    Shpilband and Zoueva were informed of the move on Tuesday.

    “They made a decision,” Shpilband said. “They didn’t ask what we thought about it. Tanith talked to me after worlds and said so many people had so many opinions and she was confused. I know it wasn’t an easy world championships.”

    Linichuk said that she’s excited to begin working with the tandem.

    “They’re very professional,” she said, “and very smart.”

    Linichuk said she believed there was room for improvement in their skating. Asked for specifics, she said: “This is secret.”

    Belbin, 23, and Agosto, 26, have been skating together since 1998, when they were paired by Shpilband at the Detroit Skating Club. Instead of throwing them into competition right away, Shpilband allowed them to practice for a season to let their partnership to form naturally.

    When they took to the ice, Belbin and Agosto were successful almost immediately, winning their first of three straight U.S. silver medals in 2001 and the 2002 junior world title.

    Three years later, they became the first American ice dancers to win a medal at worlds in 20 years when they took silver in 2005 in Moscow. A year later, they became the first U.S. ice dance team to win a medal at the Olympics since 1976.

    In January 2009, they will try to become the all-time U.S. leaders in ice dance when they go for an unprecedented sixth title at nationals in Cleveland.

    Belbin and Agosto said they’ll miss the Detroit area — especially their friendships with Virtue and Moir and with reigning U.S. silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

    After winning Olympic silver, Belbin and Agosto were honored in Canton when a street leading to the rink was renamed in their honor. The team has been involved in charitable endeavors in the area; last December they put on a holiday skating show in Plymouth.

    “We left on good terms,” Agosto said. “Igor and Marina told us the door is always open and wished us all the luck in the world.”
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  4. #25
    sport legend florik2000's Avatar
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    eram sigura ca vor face asta.e destul de greu sa te antrenezi impreuna cu rivalii tai.

  5. #26
    c'est la vie whisper's Avatar
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    Gata?!? S-au hotarat sa se retraga?
    "We believe Hanyu could win the gold because Daisuke Takahashi, the ace in Japan’s men’s figure skating, paved the way to the world for the other Japanese figure skaters."
    The Japan News, February 2014

  6. #27
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    Nu se retrag, si-au schimbat antrenorii - trecand la Natalia Linichuk and Genadi Karponosov si deci si locul de antrenament
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  7. #28
    sport legend florik2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by whisper View Post
    Gata?!? S-au hotarat sa se retraga?
    de unde atata bucurie?

  8. #29
    sport legend florik2000's Avatar
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    ICE: How has your summer been so far?

    TB: Very good! I haven't been back from vacation for more than two weeks, so I am sort of still in that happy mindset.

    ICE: Where did you go on vacation?

    TB: I went to Paris, and then I went to California for a week.

    ICE: So you haven't really gotten a chance to settle in Pennsylvania yet?

    TB: A little bit. We were there for about three weeks before I went on vacation, and it's been two weeks since we've been home from vacation.

    ICE: What's been the biggest difference between training in Pennsylvania compared to Michigan so far?

    TB: Well, as far as the skating goes, the coaching technique is incredibly different. So, we have really been going back to the basics to learn our new skating technique from the ground up. The atmosphere is sort of what we are used too -- a lot of high-level teams -- so it keeps us competitive. As far as the area goes, it is just a really pretty place. Detroit offered us a lot, and we will always consider it home, but it wasn't necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing place. Pennsylania is very pretty, and I know that Ben loves having his house and the garden for the his dogs to run around in. There are definite benefits to living there. We are in Aston, but I am living closer to the border of Delaware. A lot of figure skaters from the University of Delaware, which is sort of a hot bed of training, have come over there, so there is a strong sense of skating community in the area.

    ICE: Have you picked music or costumes for your new programs yet?

    TB: Things are on a little bit of a later time frame than what we are used to, because we have been working so long on our skating technique. Our coaches asked us to please give them our patience and not be frustrated that we are doing five hours of stroking a day and not jumping right into choreography. Hopefully, it will make our choreography go quicker when we move on to that, because our skill level will be higher. As far as where we are right now, we are still sort of conceptualizing the program, but they are coming together.

    ICE: Normally, would you already have picked your music and worked on choreography at this point?

    TB: Typically, in the past two years we would have already been working on choreography.

    ICE: What do you think -- props, or no props this year?

    TB: I haven't really read up on all the rules yet; they keep changing them. Until they nail down what all the rules are, I am not going to bother reading any of them!

  9. #30

  10. #31
    c'est la vie whisper's Avatar
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    WOW! Ce costume super au avut la CD(de la asta tre sa fie ca ieri ea a avut o rochie roz).
    "We believe Hanyu could win the gold because Daisuke Takahashi, the ace in Japan’s men’s figure skating, paved the way to the world for the other Japanese figure skaters."
    The Japan News, February 2014

  11. #32
    Listening Anisia's Avatar
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    Intr-adevar, foarte frumoase costumele. Oare mama ei i le creeaza pe toate ?
    "In muzică există ceva care te poate atinge unde nu o poate face nici cel mai profund gând." Sergiu Celibidache

  12. #33
    c'est la vie whisper's Avatar
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    Nu stiu..dar astea chiar sunt super si daca sunt facute de mama ei inseamna ca e un designer foarte bun!
    "We believe Hanyu could win the gold because Daisuke Takahashi, the ace in Japan’s men’s figure skating, paved the way to the world for the other Japanese figure skaters."
    The Japan News, February 2014

  13. #34
    Moderator irinaidu's Avatar
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    asa e vorba in targ ca mama ei ii face toate costumele.
    "Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, good mother, good looking, good tempered, well groomed and unaggressive."

  14. #35
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    Belbin, Agosto withdraw from U.S. champs
    Five-time U.S. ice dancing champions will not compete in Cleveland

    http://web.icenetwork.com/images/200...7/QedNLIr3.jpg

    (01/08/2009) - Five-time U.S. ice dancing champions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto announced today they will not compete at the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 18-25, because of injury.

    The Olympic silver medalists withdrew from last month's ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Goyang City, Republic of Korea, after Agosto suffered a back injury. Agosto said he is recuperating from the injury, but his pace of recovery has not allowed him to train at a competitive level.

    "I am getting excellent treatment from my doctors," Agosto said, "but my back simply needs more time to mend. There's just no way to rush the healing process on this one.

    "It's a huge disappointment for us," Agosto continued. "We had been looking forward to defending our title once again at the U.S. Championships. However, the good news is that I am making progress, and I hope to begin training again in a few weeks."

    Agosto and Belbin are confident that they will be ready to compete at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, March 22-29, in Los Angeles.

    "Ben is making steady progress," Belbin said, "While he recuperates, I am continuing to train hard on my own, so I am certain that we'll be in top shape before March. We have requested that U.S. Figure Skating consider us for the U.S. world team."

    Belbin and Agosto are three-time world medalists, winning silver in 2005 and bronze in 2006 and 2007. They won the silver medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The team trains in Aston, Pa., under the direction of former Olympic champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  15. #36
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    Hi, everyone

    With Ben's injury healing nicely, we're training hard and looking forward to having the chance we missed at U.S. Nationals to skate in front of our home country audience at the World Championships in March.

    This year has certainly been one of the most, if not the most, challenging season for us, but we've been fortunate to have the great support of our families, friends and fans more than ever to help us through it all. Thank you very much for all your well-wishes. We can't wait to see you in L.A.!

    Tanith and Ben
    tanithandben.com
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  16. #37
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    Tanith pe blogul ei de pe myspace.com:
    Hi everyone!
    I'm afraid I haven't had much time lately to update my blog but I wanted to let everyone know that my little humpty-dumpty Ben and I are back in one piece and training hard for Worlds next month in L.A. My partner pushed through a rehab process I can only imagine and was able to recover without the "two steps forward, one step back" process the doctors had predicted. With me training solo while he was off and Ben working tirelessly in physical therapy to regain strength and control, we were able to get ourselves back up to speed within a few weeks of his return to the ice and we have been training normally ever since.
    I heard someone say in an interview the other day that the depth of their struggle will determine the height of their achievements. I believe whole-heartily that the same will apply to Ben and I and I still have faith that the best is yet to come for us. We have received so much support from our fans during this difficult, transitional season for us and we want nothing more than to make them all proud by skating our hearts out and leaving it all on the ice in L.A.
    Thank you so much for believing in us. At the end of the day, that means so much more than any title ever could.
    xoxo-
    Tanith
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  17. #38
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto hope to compete in World Championships.

    http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2009-02/45317095.jpg

    Agosto's back injury forced ice dancers to miss U.S. event, but they perform before a panel of judges to show their fitness.
    By Helene Elliott
    February 28, 2009
    Ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the Turin Olympic silver medalists and five-time U.S. champions, have cleared the first hurdle standing between them and a confirmed berth at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles.

    Belbin and Agosto had to withdraw from this year's U.S. championships because he had a back injury. They petitioned for a place on the World team and were granted that wish with the provision that they prove their fitness before the competition, which begins March 22.

    Belbin said by phone Friday the duo had performed for a panel of judges Thursday at their rink in Aston, Pa., and had no difficulties. She said they will perform again March 12 for a larger group that will include members of U.S. Figure Skating's international committee, and she's confident the final decision will affirm their readiness to compete at Staples Center.

    "We'll definitely be there, absolutely," she said. "We've been training hard. If anything, this injury and this setback have given us a lot of fight. Ben pushed through it and we're more invigorated than we'd be without it, even."

    She said they had no problems with their performance Thursday and that Agosto emerged in good physical shape. The judges, she said, wanted "to make sure we're still all in one piece and we certainly are.

    "We've been doing run-throughs for a few weeks now so we're actually ahead of schedule in terms of what the doctors predicted that Ben's recovery would be," she added. "So they were able to see us not only recovered but improved from the last time they saw us."

    The past two seasons have provided some trying times for Belbin and Agosto, whose dynamic style and good looks have sparked a surge of interest in their long-mocked discipline.

    They finished second at the 2005 World Championships and the Turin Games but slipped to third at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships. Their fourth-place finish at last year's world competition inspired them to leave their base in suburban Detroit, where they had trained under coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva, and move to Pennsylvania to work with 1980 Olympic ice dance champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.

    They finished second at two Grand Prix events this season, Skate America and Cup of China, but had to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final in December because of Agosto's back. They also missed the U.S. championships. In their absence, the title was won by their former Detroit training mates, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

    Davis and White also prevailed at the Four Continents championships in Vancouver earlier this month, which bodes well for the international prospects of U.S. figure skaters.

    The upcoming World Championships will determine the number of berths allotted to each country at the Vancouver Games. To get three spots, the placements of each nation's top two finishers in Los Angeles must add up to 13 or fewer. The Olympic team itself will be determined after next year's U.S. championships.

    "I'm just really happy that they were able to take on that pressure and to step up and grab what they were looking for. It's always good to see somebody get what they were after," Belbin said of Davis and White.

    "Between Meryl and Charlie and ourselves and Evan [Bates] and Emily [Samuelson] I think we have a good chance of retaining three teams.

    "I'm really proud of the progress ice dancing has made in the United States. It hasn't been just this year -- it's been the last several years. But this year in particular I think all the teams have been really standing out and I'm happy to be part of that."

    A strong and healthy part of that.

    "A few weeks ago, if there was anything that we had to hold back on it was the time we spent" on the ice," Belbin said. "For the past few weeks we've been on the ice for a regular amount of hours and training hard. We anticipate being even more prepared than we have ever been for worlds."

    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw...,5437019.story
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  18. #39
    c'est la vie whisper's Avatar
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    Si eu sper sa poata sa patineze la mondiale
    Multam Iulya!
    "We believe Hanyu could win the gold because Daisuke Takahashi, the ace in Japan’s men’s figure skating, paved the way to the world for the other Japanese figure skaters."
    The Japan News, February 2014

  19. #40
    Addicted 2Books Iulya's Avatar
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    vesti chiar de la BEN:
    Long time coming
    well well, look who it is... Hello everyone. This has been one crazy year. Since the move to Philly, it has been quite a roller coaster. The skating here has been incredible. My new coaches, Natalia and Gennadiy, are really good and have given me a totally new view of skating. After doing this for 21 years, it's amazing to see how much more there is to learn.
    Injury update: so my back has been recovering amazingly! I had a herniated disc in my low back which compressed my sciatic nerve going down into my right leg. I have been taking my rehab in baby steps, but I am practically back to full strength now! We have finally been able to do our runthroughs with all our lifts as well. It feels great to finally feel like I am just working on my stamina again, as opposed to trying to get feeling back in my foot I can;t wait for Worlds! I feel like now, more than ever, I am ready to fight. I guess there's nothing like a little adversity to light a fire under your butt. L.A. here I come!!!
    Ben
    [B][I][CENTER]Zoltan Kelemen/Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat/Alena Leonova/ Anna Cappelini & Luca Lanotte/Florent Amodio/Aliona Savchebko & Robin Szolkowy/Alexander Majorov/[/CENTER][/I][/B]




    [CENTER] Anybody can root for a winning side. It takes character to stick with the underdogs![/CENTER]

  20. #41
    Moderator irinaidu's Avatar
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    imi pare rau de ben ca mi-e simpatic dar as fi chiar distrusa daca nu ii vad la mondiale.
    "Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, good mother, good looking, good tempered, well groomed and unaggressive."

  21. #42
    Mrs Joubert emiii03's Avatar
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    imi pare bine, ca Ben se simte bine, imi sunt simpatici
    Adevaratul erou nu este perfect. Adevaratul test al unui campion nu este daca poate triumfa, ci daca poate trece obstacolele - preferabil cele create chiar de el - pentru a triumfa...

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